Under Shiki's arrangement, Orochimaru went straight to the daimyō's mansion.
With his identity as one of the Legendary Sannin, it was easy for him to obtain an audience.
For the daimyō, the Third Great Ninja War was not just a matter of honor or glory—it was a matter of money. Because of the way the Third Hokage handled things, Konoha had lost too much, and that loss naturally extended to the daimyō's coffers as well.
When there are profits, everyone is happy.
But if you make me lose money… then I'm not happy.
And if I'm not happy, then don't think about being happy yourself.
With that mindset already in place, there was no need for Orochimaru to waste time with long speeches. After hearing his report, the daimyō decisively gave the order: the Third Hokage was to abdicate.
"Orochimaru! I'm your sensei!"
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen glared at Orochimaru, his expression filled with disbelief and rage.
Even though he had known for a long time that his students had drifted away from him one by one, he had never imagined that the one to deal him the final blow would be his favorite student—Orochimaru.
"Heh…"
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
He took a step forward, leaned close to the Third Hokage's ear, and whispered:
"No helping it… You were the one who refused to hand over the 'Living Corpse Reincarnation Technique' to me."
Compared to a forbidden technique that promised true immortality…
Sensei and pupil? What did that matter?
If this sensei of his had been some upright, righteous man, he might have hesitated. But the shrewd Orochimaru had long seen the darkness hidden beneath Sarutobi Hiruzen's gentle façade.
"Sensei?"
Tch. What a ridiculous title.
"You…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Orochimaru, then turned his gaze to the ninja around him.
He could see it clearly in their eyes—he had no choice.
His shoulders slumped. He sank weakly into the Hokage's chair.
Perhaps… this was also the last time Sarutobi Hiruzen would ever sit in this seat.
"Who will be the next Hokage?"
Sarutobi asked in a low voice. At this point, there was nothing left to hide.
"It will be Senju Tsunade," Nara Shikaku replied calmly. "With Tsunade-sama's identity and prestige, her becoming Hokage will be a new hope for Konoha."
"…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.
Indeed, with Tsunade's lineage and renown, she was more than qualified to take on the title of Hokage.
Facing his silence, Nara Shikaku didn't press him, merely continued in his usual steady tone:
"Third Hokage-sama, please begin putting your affairs in order. Two days from now will be the succession ceremony for the new Hokage. This office needs to be properly cleaned out."
After leaving that one sentence, Nara Shikaku turned and left.
The other clan heads also departed one after another. Even they didn't dare push the Third Hokage too far. If they drove him into a corner and he really chose to make some drastic decision, it would be a huge problem.
"Heh…"
Orochimaru gave one last mocking laugh and followed them out.
In the end, only Sarutobi Hiruzen remained in the office, along with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
For this sudden turn of events, even Koharu and Homura felt a strong sense of rejection.
Just a moment ago, everything had still seemed "under discussion"… and in the next instant, the position of Hokage had been stripped away from the Third Hokage?
It all felt unreal, like something out of a dream.
They exchanged glances.
Is this really happening?
Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer had the strength to shout at anyone. He simply swept his gaze over Koharu and Homura.
"Do you have anything else you want to say?"
Just now, in front of everyone, they hadn't spoken a single word in his defense.
But Sarutobi understood them all too well. If Koharu and Homura had actually stood up to protect him at that moment, that would've been strange.
They were the ones who had helped push him to this point in the first place—two instigators hiding in the shadows.
"Ah… I suddenly remembered I have something urgent to take care of!"
"Mm! Same here, something just came up with my clan. We'll take our leave for now!"
The two elders hurriedly made excuses and left the office.
They did still have things to "discuss", but now that Sarutobi Hiruzen was no longer Hokage, what was the point of talking about any of it here?
As for him being forced to abdicate by the collective will of Konoha's ninja…
Though Koharu and Homura were indeed surprised by the outcome, it was only surprise, nothing more.
As long as their positions as village elders weren't threatened, everything else was trivial.
When the office finally fell completely silent and he was alone, Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer hold back his emotions.
"Boom!"
His fist smashed down on the desk, shattering it in an instant.
He didn't even glance at the wreckage. Instead, he roared hoarsely:
"Aaahhh!! Everything I did was for this village… and in the end, this is all that's left for me?!"
His furious shout echoed through the Hokage Building.
Civilians passing by outside heard his voice, turned to look up, and exchanged confused glances. They had no idea what was happening—
but no one dared to ask.
On the other side, after walking out of the Hokage Building, Nara Shikaku finished giving instructions to the assembled ninja, then finally turned to face the Hyuga and Uchiha clan heads.
These two bloodline clans were the pillars among Konoha's forces.
A few words from them carried more weight than the voices of ten ordinary ninja.
"Hyuga Hiashi-san, Uchiha Fugaku-san—this time, I really must thank you," Nara Shikaku said sincerely.
Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chōza beside him also bowed slightly in gratitude.
Without the support of the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan, they might very well have had to leave a sliver of hope for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"You overpraise us," Hyuga Hiashi replied calmly. "When you return, please convey to Lord Shiki that the Hyuga clan will fully comply with all of his directives."
He wasn't joking.
During the war, Hyuga Hiashi had gone to the frontlines with Shiki. The power he had witnessed there… was beyond imagination.
His respect was not for Nara Shikaku himself, but for Shiki standing behind Nara Shikaku.
Nara Shikaku was well aware of this and only smiled, nodding without further comment.
Then he looked toward Uchiha Fugaku.
Compared to Hyuga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku's stance was more straightforward and guarded.
"Don't forget what you promised me," Fugaku said gravely. "Once Senju Tsunade takes the Hokage's seat, you are not to target the Uchiha clan."
It was only because of this condition that Uchiha Fugaku had agreed to stand here today.
Otherwise, no matter how strong Shiki was, he would never have supported a Senju becoming Hokage so easily.
After all, the Uchiha and Senju were clans with a deep, irreconcilable feud.
Nara Shikaku, however, only smiled confidently.
"Clan Head Fugaku-san, do you know why the First Hokage never moved to suppress the Uchiha clan?"
"Hm?"
Uchiha Fugaku frowned slightly, not understanding why Shikaku suddenly brought this up.
But what he said was true.
The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had always distrusted and targeted the Uchiha clan. Everyone knew that.
But the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, had never issued any order to oppress them. On the contrary, he had allowed the Uchiha to develop freely within the village.
In other words—
I won't restrict you. Whether you become strong or not is up to you.
"This is because the strength of the First Hokage was overwhelming enough to shake the entire world," Nara Shikaku explained calmly.
"When your power is absolute, there's no need to be afraid.
The First Hokage was confident that no matter what kind of genius emerged from the Uchiha clan, they still wouldn't be able to surpass him."
"…"
Uchiha Fugaku fell silent.
Hyuga Hiashi and the others beside him also went quiet.
Strength is supreme.
This truth was simple, yet far too few people truly understood it in the ninja world.
Seeing their expressions, Nara Shikaku continued with a faint smile:
"Fugaku-san, do you really think that with Lord Shiki's strength, he would be concerned about the Uchiha clan's development?"
"…"
Uchiha Fugaku was left speechless.
The logic was sound, and he knew it…
But for some reason, the way Nara Shikaku said it made him feel as if his proud Uchiha clan had just been casually looked down upon.
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